Coal-mining explosive



Patented May 3 1927" WALTER o. SNELLING, or ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOBTO TROJAN :eow-

nnn COMPANY, on NEwxonK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

COAL-MINING nxtetosivn.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to explosives and more particularly toimprovements in explosives of the type employed in coal mining.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an explosive of thistype having exceptional efficiency in the work for which it is primarilyintended, and further to provide such an explosive having an extremelylow flame temperature.

It is desirable for reasons of safety that any explosive employed incoal mining have a low flame temperature, and also that it be efiicientin its coal-getting qualities and that it give a maximum of preparedsizes. by which is meant coal in large lumps, or chunky coal in which aconsiderable percentage of the total material is represented by lumps offair size. I have discovered that coal mining explosives possessing theaforesaid characteristics in exceptional degree may be prepared byadding hydrocellulose or its equivalent to mixtures of detonatingsubstances such as nitrostarch, nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluene, or thelike with inorganic oxidizing agents such as sodium nitrate, ammoniumperchlorate, ammonium nitrate and similar oxygen-carrying salts.

The relative proportions of the constituents of the explosive may varylargely. but generally I prefer to use from 1% to 20% of hydrocellulose,in combination with 5% to 25% of nitrostarch, and 5% to 50% of ammoniumnitrate or its equivalent.

As an example of an explosive constituting an embodiment of myinvention, I may pre sent the following:

Per cent.

Nitrostarch 16.00 Ammonium nitrate 6'7 .00 TNT 7.50 Sodium nitrate 4.00Hydrocellulose 5.00 Zinc oxide .20 Mineral oil .30

As indicative of the wide range of equivalents, I may, in the foregoingexample. replace ammonium nitrate with guanidine nitrateor any likematerial; and in place of sodium nitrate, employ any suitable oxidizingagent such as potassium perchlorate, barium nitrate, or ammoniumperchlorate.

Application filed October 30,;l924. Serial No. 746,873.

Instead of zinc oxide, I may, for example, employ sodium bicarbonate. I

Although an explosive made in accordance with the foregoing example andincluding nitrostarch will give extremely satisfactory results. theinvention is not limited to this example nor to any of the individualingredients thereof. Broadly the invention contemplates the use in acoal mining explosive of hydrocellulose or other hydroxylated bodycorresponding in chemical nature to hydrocellulose, but comprisinghydrated or hydroxylated derivatives of other carbohydrates thancellulose, for the purpose of re- 'ducing the explosion temperature andincreasing the coal-getting characteristics of the explosive. Obviously,the invention is applicable to coal mining explosives havinganitroglycerin, perchlorate, Or any other explosive base.

As an example of such explosive, the following formula is given:

Per cent.

Nitroglycerin 10 Ammonium nitrate 65 Sodium nitrate -i 5 Wood pulp 10'Hydrocellulose 5 Sodium chloride 4 Calcium carbonate 1 made to serve thedouble purpose of an absorbent of the nitroglycerin, and a highlyefficient flame-deadening and. temperaturereducing agent as well. Theformula given may be modified accordingly. and in any. other way .withinthe range of equivalents.

I claim: a

1. A detonating explosive comprisingxa detonating agent andhydrocellulose.

2. A detonating explosive comprising a 5% f0 25% nitrostarch, 5% to 50%of am- {11011111111 nitrate, and 1% to 20% hydrocellu- 10 ose.

6. A nitrostarch explosive comprising hydi'ocellulose. v 1

V 7. An explosive comprising niti'ostarch, an oxidizing agent, andhydrocellulose.

' ALTER O. SNELLING.

